The invention relates to a method of performing operating settings in a heart rate measurement arrangement.
The invention relates to heart rate monitors. The invention is applied to a personal heart rate measurement device measuring non-invasively, which device is used by sport enthusiasts or athletes, for example. The heart rate measurement equipment may be for instance conventional 2-part equipment comprising a heart rate transmitter comprising the EKG electrodes and being most often of a transmitter-belt type, and a receiver unit in telemetric inductive or optical connection therewith, formed as a wristband, comprising for example a microprocessor, a display and a user interface. Alternatively, it may be heart rate measurement equipment integrated as a wristband, in other words there is hence also a sensor, such as the EKG electrodes or a pressure sensor, in the wristband in addition to other parts. Alternatively, the device parts may be integrated to a belt part measuring the heart rate. The sensor may also be an optical sensor measuring the heart rate, or as mentioned, a pressure pulse sensor, although according to the applicant""s notions, these two types of sensors are applicable to measurement from the extremities, such as the wrist or fingers of a hand, and not to measurement from the chest.
In this context, the setting values refer to information concerning the user himself/herself or the exercise that the user intends to perform, or other information fed that is fed to the heart rate measurement arrangement and that the heart rate measurement arrangement uses in its operation. One example of the setting values is the heart rate limits. Heart rate limit alarm is used in heart rate monitors to control the exercise by the sport enthusiast, so that the sport enthusiast receives an alarm if the heart rate in the exercise is or falls below the lower limit or if the heart rate is or rises above the upper limit. In other words, the heart rate must be within a particular range in order for the exercise to be sufficiently efficient but not dangerous.
There are prior art ways to transmit setting value information to the heart rate measurement arrangement. The most conventional way involves feeding through the heart rate monitor""s own user interface usually implemented by means of buttons. However, for the most part this way is only appropriate when performed by the user himself/herself and not when performed by a coach, for example. Furthermore, a problem is that feeding has to take place in a state at least nearly immobile in order to avoid feeding errors.
The applicant""s own patent publication U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,119 discloses a solution in which setting values are transmitted by means of wireless magnetic inductive connection to the receiver unit of the heart rate monitor by a data transmission device connected to a microcomputer. Thus, however, ordinary use of the heart rate monitor is prevented during the setting transmission, because the reel of the wristband receiver unit in the heart rate monitor cannot at that time receive the signal from the transmitter belt. The receiver unit of the heart rate monitor around the wrist must also be taken close to the data transmission device in order for the data transmission to succeed.
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel method and measurement arrangement by means of which the problems and drawbacks of prior art solutions are avoided.
To achieve the above-mentioned object a method according to the invention is characterized by transmitting audio frequency information to the heart rate measurement arrangement by using a terminal connected wirelessly to the heart rate measurement arrangement, which audio frequency information contains setting value information intended to be used in the operation of the heart rate measurement arrangement; and by performing decoding in the heart rate measurement arrangement to decode the received audio frequency information to setting value information controlling the operation of heart rate measurement arrangement.
The heart rate measurement arrangement according to the invention, in turn, is characterized in that the heart rate measurement arrangement comprises an audio frequency receiver for receiving audio frequency information from a terminal that can be wirelessly connected to the heart rate measurement arrangement, which audio frequency information contains setting value information intended to be used in the operation of the heart rate measurement arrangement; and that the heart rate measurement arrangement comprises a decoder in connection with the audio frequency receiver for decoding the received audio frequency information to setting value information controlling the operation of the heart rate measurement arrangement.
The basic idea of the invention is to perform the transmission of the setting value information as audio frequency information. The audio frequency may be the audio frequency of the audibility range or the audio frequency of the ultrasonic range.
An advantage of the method and the arrangement according to the invention is particularly that the device receiving setting information, such as a receiver unit of a wristband in the heart rate monitor, does not have to be taken very near the information-feeding device. Transmission of setting values may take place even if the device that receives the setting values, e.g. the wristband receiver unit of a heart rate monitor, is in motion, so that this will not interfere with the normal activities of the user as much as previously. The preferred embodiments of the invention and other implementation ways described in more detail add to the advantages of the invention.